updated 07:40 am EDT, Thu September 18, 2008

Samsung BEAT Music Phones

Samsung on Thursday started off a new line of music phones that draw on the company's own media player experience. The BEATb (bar) and BEATs (slider) both have dedicated music controls but also have motion-sensitive functions. Users can shake the phone iPod nano-style to skip tracks, tap it to play or pause, or put the phone on full mute by placing it face-down on a table. The company's Digital Natural Sound Engine from its MP3 players carries over to enhance the sound field, and the third-party app Shazam is preloaded to sample and identify a song to buy later.

Both phones carry a two-megapixel camera and a full 3.5mm headphone jack; the BEATb (known also as the M3510) is the reference device and measures just 9.9mm (0.39in), while the BEATs uses the extra space of the slider to hide a Bang & Olufsen-made amp and stereo speakers for more public listening.

Samsung ships the bar model first in September and follows up with the slider in October. The company hasn't outlined whether the devices support North American frequencies but is expected to launch the BEAT line in at least Europe.